A Chaotic First Day
by KelsIsVictorious
Summary: -Sequel to Cheater, Cheater?- Beck's sister arrives at Hollywood Arts, and Tori jumps through hoops to make amends with her. Meanwhile, the others do volunteer work to get out of class. Is risking being scalped really work it?
1. Chapter 1

Here it is! The sequel to _Cheater, Cheater? _and the second episode in my mock Victorious season! I know Gwen wasn't very likable in the last episode, but hopefully she will be in this one. I only hope you're all as generous with reviews as you were last time! Please enjoy! c:

* * *

It was Monday at Hollywood Arts and Beck, Jade and Gwen had just walked through the front entrance. Beck was telling Gwen the last details of the quick tour that he and Jade were giving her. "And this is the main hall," he told her as she looked around in fascination. "Watch your step, because there are a lot of rouge dancers in this area and they're too in the zone to care if they kick you in the face... I had to learn that the hard way..."

"I can't believe I'm finally here," Gwen quietly muttered, looking around at all the murals and colorful lockers.

"Well, believe it," Jade said, coffee cup in hand. "Now we can hang out with you without having to be ashamed to be seen with you."

"She's kidding," Beck told Gwen.

"No, I'm not."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "You know you love me, Jadey."

"Apparently I do. You just called me 'Jadey' and you still have a pulse."

The three walked towards Beck's locker, and while he was putting some of his stuff away, Gwen asked, "Where's my locker?"

"Lemme see your schedule." Gwen handed her brother the sheet of paper that had her classes for the day, and looked it over, as her locker number and the combo should have been printed on there. "Oh, here, you have Zeke Hamilton's old locker. I'll show you where it is."

As the group walked towards the locker, Gwen asked, "What happened to Zeke?"

"He got expelled," Jade told her. "A teacher found him in the girl's locker room with seven packs of tofu dogs and-"

"Don't tell her that story!" Beck said as he covered his sister's ears, which made her roll her eyes. "Do you want to corrupt her fourteen year old innocence?"

"... Maybe."

They finally arrived at a dull gray locker, which had been stripped of its cherry red paint and hot rod decorations. Ironically, it now stuck out like a sore thumb. "Aww, why isn't it pretty?" Gwen asked. "I want my locker to be pretty like all the others. This locker looks like poo."

"Every student has to decorate their locker themselves," Jade explained. "It's a Hollywood Arts tradition."

Gwen nodded, no longer gloomy. "Oh, okay... That actually sounds like fun."

As she took her paper back from Beck and began to work the combination lock, Beck commented, "Your locker's just a few down from Tori's."

Gwen let out a small groan. "Of course it is. As if I haven't gotten enough of that gank."

"Amen to that," Jade muttered.

Beck sighed. "Come on, Gwen, I know Tori sort of kidnapped you and tied you to a chair and almost made you miss your interview and all, but she's actually really nice."

"Beck, think about what you just said and maybe you'll realize why I don't listen to you as often as you'd like," Gwen told him, opening her bland locker and placing her purple backpack inside.

"It was the first time she's ever done something like that... That I know of."

"I'm not saying it isn't... I'm just saying she's a nutball and I hope she falls off a cliff."

Beck gave her a disapproving look. "Just be nice. Please?"

Gwen grabbed her notebooks and sketchbook and nodded. "I'm just kidding, bro. I already punched the girl in the nose. We're even. It's not like I was going to keep insulting her no matter what she did." She shut her locker and added, "Only Jade can pull that off."

As they continued to talk, Tori and Trina finally arrived at school. While they walked past the staircase, Trina took a sip of her coffee and commented, "This coffee tastes weird."

Tori stopped and took the cup from her sister. She tried to take a drink, but there was nothing to drink. She looked back at Trina, confused, and asked, "If it tasted so weird, then why did you drink it all?"

Trina shrugged. "I thought the not-weird part would be at the bottom..."

Tori rolled her eyes at her goofy sister, then noticed someone close to her locker. "Oh, Jade and Beck are here with Gwen!"

"The skunkbag?" Trina asked. Tori had told her the story, but not the conclusion.

Tori shook her head. "Yeah, turns out that she's just Beck's sister."

"Oh..." Trina nodded. "I can see the family resemblance."

Tori shot her a glance and quietly said, "She's adopted."

"That has nothing to do with genetics," Trina told her.

"Why do people keep saying that?" Tori half-yelled, throwing her arms in the air.

As they got closer, Jade mumbled, "Speak of the devil..."

"Hi, guys," Tori greeted, Trina still by her side. "Welcome to Hollywood Arts, Gwen! I just know you're going to love it here. If you need help with your schedule or anything, feel free to ask."

"Thanks," Gwen politely said with a small nod and smile. "I, uh, see your nose is all better."

"Yeah, I guess I built up a tolerance for being punched in the nose after the first time..." She placed a hand on Trina's arm and said, "Oh, Gwen, you haven't met Trina yet. She's my big sister. Trina, this surprisingly good puncher is Gwen."

"Nice to meet you," Gwen said, waving at Trina with her free hand.

"It always is!" Trina chirped, modest as ever. "So, what school did you used to go to?"

"Well, I was a freshman at North High before-"

"Freshman?" Trina asked, sounding like she just saw a dog vomiting. "Gross..." She walked off, leaving Gwen to awkwardly stare at the others, as if she was silently asking them what happened.

Tori's lips pressed together, forming a straight line. "Now you've met Trina... and I sincerely apologize because of it."

After the four spent a few more minutes chatting, the warning bell chimed out, signaling that there were five minutes until the first class of the day started. Jade waved at Gwen (and sort of at Tori... Or at least Tori pretended she did) and said, "Break a leg, Gwen."

"With my luck, it'll be my leg," Gwen said with a nervous chuckle.

"You're gonna knock 'em dead," Beck told her, a firm hand gripping his sister's shoulder. He gave her a kiss on the top of her head and grabbed Jade's hand, their fingers instantly intertwining. As they began to walk in the opposite direction, Beck turned back and called out, "See you in Sikowitz's class!"

Once they were gone, Tori turned back to Jade. "Oooh, you have drama class with us? That's great! I'm sure after a few improv acting exercises, we'll be great friends!"

"Yeeeah..." Gwen leaned against her locker. "Look, I'm not mad at you anymore and I appreciate you bring so nice to me, but I kind of need some space for a while before I can feel comfortable calling you a friend."

Tori looked kind of confused. "Oh, um, okay. May I ask why?"

Gwen shrugged. "Ever since you sort of held me captive... You kind of give me the willies."

Tori raised an eyebrow. "_Willies_?"

"Yeah... I'm sure you're not that bad, but I sort of need to get to know you better, so I know that I can trust you."

"Why?"

"Because the first time I trusted you, you told me to close my eyes, sit down and ignore the pressure around my legs, wrists and torso."

"Oh yeah... I... I understand."

Gwen gave her a small grin. "Thanks for respecting this. Maybe after a few days, I'll feel like I can be alone with you without fearing where you'll hogtie me and abandon me next." Tori would have felt more guilty when she said that if she hadn't said it in such a calm tone. "I have to get to my first class. I guess I'll see you and everybody else at lunch."

She walked away, passing Cat as she did. Cat squealed and gave Gwen a big hug, which she tried to return. She failed, since her arms were full of notebooks. After letting her go, Cat ran up to Tori.

"Hiya!" Cat chirped once she was by Tori's side. "What's up?"

Tori paused, still thinking about her conversation with Gwen, and said, "Gwen says I give her the willies..."

"Ooooh, that's a fun word! Willies, willies, willies, willies-"

"Cat, I'm really upset here! Stop saying willies!"

Pause.

"WILLIES! Tee hee hee!"

* * *

**Cut to the theme song and we're good to go!**

* * *

_**TheSlap**_

**Tori Vega**

_I frighten Beck's little sister…_

**Mood: Gloomy**

* * *

"I don't want Gwen to hate me," Tori quietly said, walking into the Black Box Theater with André. "What should I do?"

"Do what she asked you to do," André told her as he sat his backpack down by one of the chairs that was set up. "Just give her a little more space. Gwen doesn't hold grudges for long, and from what you told me, she isn't even mad. She's just a little shaken up by what you did."

Tori sighed. "I know, but I feel bad... Like maybe if I do something, she'll forgive me easier."

"Yeah, I wouldn't recommend that. You might give her the willies even more."

Tori cocked an eyebrow at him, confused. "What's with you people and the willies today?" She shook her head. "I'll try not to scare her... But maybe if I do something nice, she'll see I'm not that bad!"

"You aren't going to listen to me, are you?" André flatly asked, sounding like he already knew the answer.

"Probably not, no," Tori said, cheekily smiling. "And I think I already have an idea..."

"I should probably stop you, since that's what got you in trouble last time... But I still don't want to get in the middle of this." He shook his head. "Count me out."

Mostly everybody in their class had shuffled in by that point and they all sat down. Their teacher had finally arrived, but instead of starting class, he let Lane walk up to face them all.

"Hey, everyone," Lane began, hands clasped as he looked at everyone's uninterested faces. "Before your class begins, I just wanted to tell you about a community service project that's going on today."

"Does it involve sharp objects?" Jade asked.

"I... I don't believe so," Lane said, confused as to why she would ask that.

"I'm not interested," she muttered, slumping in her seat.

Lane continued, "You'd be helping set up a play for a local group in need. Painting backgrounds, finding props, that kind of thing." He saw that it didn't look like there was much interest, so he added, "You would get community service hours for it... You'd be doing something good for a group that needs the help... You'd get to leave school right after lunch."

That's what finally sparked interest. Half the class stood up and started swarming Lane, trying to tell him to sign them up and whatnot. After a moment of being surrounded, Lane whipped out a bottle of hand lotion and pointed it at the crowd threateningly. They backed off quickly.

After Lane tucked the lotion back in his pocket, he said, "All right then. Everybody who wants to go, follow me to my office so you can fill out some paperwork."

He started to walk out the door and the large group followed, leaving only Tori, Beck, and their teacher.

"Oh..." The teacher gave a short clap and walked up to Tori and Beck, who were seated in the first row of chairs. "Um, alrighty then. For today's class, we'll... Wait until tomorrow, since there's hardly anybody here..."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Tori asked.

He opened his mouth, but shut it and sighed. "As long as you don't tell the principal, you can just leave..." He pulled a magazine out of his messenger bag and muttered, "It'll give me a chance to catch up on my reading..."

"What kind of reading?" Beck asked.

"It's a culinary magazine."

"... But there's a cockatoo on the front."

"... Good day!" With that, he zipped out the exit.

"There's something not right about the teachers at this school," Tori muttered, shaking her head as she stood up.

"And you're just _now _realizing this?" Beck asked as he stood up, a hint of a chuckle in his voice.

Tori stuck he tongue out at him and lightly slapped him on the arm. "So why didn't you go with Jade and the others?"

Beck shrugged. "I want to be here for Gwen in case she needs me. It _is _her first day, after all."

Tori grinned. "Me too! I really want to clear the air with her."

"She's not mad anymore or anything," Beck told her. "But right now, you kind of give her the willies."

"Why does everyone keep saying willies?" Tori asked, already getting sick of the word. She didn't give him a chance to answer and instead asked, "Is there any sort of little stuff she likes, like candy?"

"You can't buy love, Tori," Beck said, jokingly flicking Tori's nose.

"I know that! I'm not trying to buy anything, I just want to do a little something to try and make up for what I did. You know, show her I really regret what I did and would like to make amends with her."

Beck picked his backpack up and slung it over his shoulder. "She likes Canadian cookies."

"Where am I supposed to get her those on such short notice? And why do they have to be Canadian?"

Beck shrugged. "She's convinced that the fresh mountain air makes them better, I don't know…"

"Can you think of anything that I can get her from the school store?" They began to walk toward the exit and Beck thought this over.

"Uh... Oh, I know. She really loves chocolate. You give her any kind of candy with the smallest hint of chocolate in it and she'll be your best friend."

"Perfect!" Tori exclaimed, throwing the doors open as she ran out of the theater.

"But don't get anything with-"

The door slammed before he could answer.

"…And now I'm alone."

* * *

I think Tori would be the kind of person who would want to be everyone's friend. She even seems to want to be Jade's at times…

I hope you like c: Thanks for reading and please review!


	2. Chapter 2

**TheSlap**

**Tori Vega**

Lunch time! And candy time for Gwenny!

**Mood: Hungry!**

* * *

Once everybody had bought their lunches, they were seated at their usual table. Tori had yet to show up, as she was still at the school store. "Aww, man, they left pickles on my burger," Jade grumbled. "I wanted them off..." She pulled the pickle slices off of her open cheese and stuck them on Robbie's left cheek.

"Jaaade!" Robbie whined, wiping the pickles off of his face.

"Hi, guys," Gwen greeted after reaching the table, setting her salad container in front of the spot between Beck and Cat.

"Gwen!" Cat exclaimed, squeezing the chizz out of her as soon as she sat down. "It's been so long since I've seen you!"

Gwen giggled. "I just saw you like twenty minutes ago when you helped me decorate my locker!"

"That's, like, forever in Cat years!"

"Cat years?"

"They're like dog years," Jade began to explain, "but Cat has the attention span of a baby squirrel, so they're even longer..."

"So, how you liking Hollywood Arts so far, Go-Go?" André asked, his nickname making Gwen raise an eyebrow.

"Go-Go?" Gwen let out a short laugh and added, "André, my dancing is gag-worthy. Why are you calling me that?"

André shrugged. "You're Gwen Oliver and your initials are G-O. Go? Go-Go?"

"Oooh, that's clever! I need a nickname for you now!" Her lip jutted out as she thought it over. "André Harris… A-H… Ah. Aaaahhhhh…" Her brows furrowed and she muttered, "I'm just gonna call you André…" She remembered what André had asked her in the first place and said, "But my day's been amazing! I've already made a friend in my ceramics class. She thinks the kind of glaze you use on ceramics is the same kind you put on donuts, but other than that, she's cool."

"Uh, good for you," Beck said, lightly laughing at that description.

Robbie looked around the cafe, then back at the others. "Where's Tori? She's usually here by now."

Beck slung an arm around his sister's shoulder and said, "She's getting a little something for Hollywood Arts' newest little artist."

"Really?" Cat asked. "Who's that?"

"..." Everybody stared at Cat for a quick moment, then Beck slowly said, "_Gwen_, Cat. I was talking about _Gwen_."

"... Oh yeah!" Cat pulled her backpack up on the table and started digging around in it. "Speaking of special stuff for Gwen..." She pulled out a plastic container, popped the lid off, and pulled out a red velvet cupcake with perfect white frosting and chocolate sprinkles. "Ta-da!"

"Yay!" Gwen grabbed the cupcake and looked up at Cat gratefully. "Your red velvet cupcakes are the best in the history of red velvet cupcakes made by awesome people named Cat!"

Cat giggled, blushing at the compliment. "I made a few last night for my grandmother, but she got mad because she's diabetic, so she threw them at my brother... I saved this one for you, though! So your first day can be extra yummy and cupcakey!"

Gwen took the wrapper off and was about to take a big bite, but Tori suddenly ran up, a small, flat box in her hands. She accidentally smacked Gwen's cupcake right out of her hand with the box and it landed frosting-down in Robbie's hair.

"Tori!" Gwen whined. "You got Jew fro all over my special cupcake!"

"That's it, I'm sitting with Sinjin!" Robbie yelled, standing up, throwing the cupcake onto the table and walking away. "Maybe if I hang out with _his_ friends, I won't be showered in various foods!"

Most everyone ignored Robbie, especially Tori. "Aww, I'm sorry, Gwen... But I have something better than red velvet cupcakes!"

"What's **that** supposed to mean?" Cat screamed, looking offended.

"Nothing! I just meant I have the best chocolatey candy in the whole world!"

"Candy?" Gwen perked up upon hearing that delightful word. "Omigod, gimme!"

"Don't be rude, Gwen," Beck reminded her, nudging her lightly.

"Right. _Please_ gimme!"

"Behold, Miss Oliver," Tori began, flipping the box over so everyone could see the front of it. "Pecan Yum-Yums!"

Gwen's smile faltered. "Oh. Um, I appreciate your chocolate-covered offering and all, but I can't eat these."

"Of course, you can!" Tori ripped the lid off the box and pulled a chocolatey pecan cluster out. "Consider this a representation of our budding friendship!"

"Disgustingly sugar-coated, and ultimately not worth it?" Jade suggested.

"Ignore her," Tori said, trying her hardest to remain perky. "She's just jealous that she can't have one, because these are especially for my new little friend! Come on, eat up!"

"Tori, I'm telling you, I can't have one."

"Nonsense! They're pecantastic!"

"That's not a word!"

Beck decided to hop into the conversation again and said, "Tori, you're not listening-"

Surprise, surprise. Tori didn't listen. "Come on, open up the tunnel! Here comes the Flavor Train!" She made chugga-chugga noises and tried to force the Pecan Yum-Yum into Gwen's mouth. It did no good, as her mouth was tightly shut.

"I can't!" she exclaimed, foolishly opening her mouth. "I'm-" Gwen never got to finish her sentence, as Tori shoved the Pecan Yum-Yum into her mouth.

"There! See? Isn't that tasty?" Tori cheerfully said.

"Vega, are you out of your mind?" Jade yelled as Cat and Beck tried to make sure Gwen spat the treat out. "Are you trying to kill her?"

"Wh-What are you talking about?"

"Tori, Gwen's _allergic_ to pecans," Beck told her, right after Cat slapped Gwen's back with all her might and she spat a chocolate-pecan-saliva mess out in her salad.

"What? Why didn't you tell me before I went to the school store?" Tori screamed, sinking down into the seat next to André.

"I tried to. You ran off before you could hear me," Beck said, soothingly rubbing his sister's back as she continued to hack pieces of accidentally-chewed pecans into her ruined salad.

"Why'd you chew them?" André, speaking up again, asked Gwen. "Tori didn't make you do that."

After hacking one last pecan out, Gwen weakly said, "Because... It was _sooooo _good..."

"Get up," Jade ordered, forcefully pulling Gwen to her feet. "Let's wash that jank out of your mouth before it's too late." Jade and Cat quickly dragged Gwen to the bathroom while Tori, practically paralyzed in horror, stayed behind with Beck and André.

"She's not going to die, is she?" Tori asked, back to panicking.

"No, no, it's not that severe of an allergy," Beck told her, shaking his head. "I don't think she actually swallowed anything, so maybe she won't break out like usual."

"Break out?" André questioned.

"Yeah, pecans always make Gwen break out in rashes... In places."

"_Places_? What kind of places?"

"... She'd kill me if I told you."

* * *

**TheSlap**

**Tori Vega**

GWEN! I'm so so so sorry! Where are you?

**Mood: Guilty**

* * *

Gwen was at her new locker, tucking books inside. Tori, who looked as if she had been running for a while, sighed in relief when she saw her. "Gwen!" Tori ran up to the blonde, who continued to organize her locker. "I cannot even begin to describe how sorry I am!"

"It's okay," Gwen said, still poking around in her locker. "You didn't know. And Lane let use some of his lotion for the rash that's now on my... Never mind."

Tori sighed, feeling guiltier than ever. "Gwen... I was just trying to show you-"

"I know," Gwen interrupted, finally looking up at Tori. "It was sweet... In an itchy way. It certainly didn't do anything to get rid of my willies, though..."

She shut her locker, and Tori was able to see what she had done with it so far. The locker had been painted pitch black, but a flurry of neon-colored handprints made it far from depressing. "Wow, I love what you've done with your locker!"

"Thank you." Gwen looked at her locker, smiling slightly. "The black background represents how bleak the world would be without creativity and the arts. These handprints represent the friends I've made so far and how our talent brightens the world and makes it a colorful place."

"Wow, that's really a deep statement."

"Yeah, that, and I just like brightly colored body parts." She began pointing hands out and said, "The blue hand is André's, because blue represents loyalty, and André is loyal to his friends and his music. Cat's the magenta one because pink colors represent youthfulness and innocence... That, and, you know, her hair. Beck's handprint is purple, because purple represents wisdom and enlightenment and I would probably be dead or stranded in Guadalajara right now if Beck hadn't talked me out of doing a few stupid things in the past." Tori didn't even want to question this. "The red hand is Jade, because red is passion, which represents her love for Beck and performing, and red is also aggression, which represents... Everything else about her." Tori didn't need to question that statement. "And Robbie's hand is yellow, because yellow is the color of pee, which is what he almost did when I tried to kill him last week." When she saw the confused glance Tori gave her, she shrugged and said, "I still don't know Robbie that well."

Tori nodded in understanding. "Sooo... _All _of your friends, huh?"

"... Yep!" Tori couldn't help but look hurt, even though she knew she sort of deserved it. "I, uh, gotta go!" Gwen shuffled off, leaving Tori even more hopeless than before.

She leaned against the wall, letting out a frustrated breath. Beck conveniently walked by, after saying goodbye to Jade and the others before they left, and noticed his gloomy friend. "Hey. You okay?"

"Gwen's even more afraid of me than she was before," Tori sighed, running a hand through her dark hair.

Beck tucked his hands into his pockets and muttered, "Well, you _did _force her to eat a chocolate-coated rash inducer..." When Tori glared at him, he shrugged. "What? You did."

"I didn't mean to! I was trying to apologize and now things are even worse between us!" She gestured to Gwen's handprint-covered locker and said, "She was telling me how all of her friends had their handprints on her locker, and she didn't even sound like she was considering asking me... She even asked _Robbie_! He's the one who helped me!"

"Yeah, but... Tori, come on, Robbie's like a stupid puppy. Staying mad at him for doing something dumb is almost cruel..." Beck let out a small sigh, then patted Tori on the back. "Tori, I've known Gwen her entire life. She'll come around. Just stop trying to poison her, okay?" he jokingly asked, earning a playful nudge from Tori.

She let out a light laugh, then said, "You're right... I'll see you in Sikowitz's, okay?"

Beck nodded, gave her one last pat on the back, then headed to his next class.

As the bell rang and the hall started to fill out again, Tori walked over to her locker and pulled out the still-life painting she made over the weekend for her visual arts class. It was of a vase of flowers from her mother's garden, and Tori did a rather good job, if she said so herself. As she admired her work for another second, inspiration finally struck. "That's it!" Tucking the finished painting under her arm, Tori pulled her cell phone out of her bag and began dialing as she walked towards class.

* * *

Jade, a fake sword in her left hand, picked up her ringing cell phone and answered with a harsh "What?"

"Jade! What's Gwen's favorite flower?"

"Why would you want to know that?" Jade asked, jabbing the sword at something off-screen.

"Flowers are the ultimate forgiveness offering!"

"Yeah, it is if you forgot your six month anniversary, not if you held her hostage!" Jade continued to poke the thing that was off-screen.

"Please, just tell me! You and Gwen seem close, so I was hoping you'd know... Do you?"

Jade huffed and muttered, "As much as I hate helping you, oleanders She likes oleanders. Calla lilies are good, too."

"Jade, you're a lifesaver!"

"Shut up."

"... Okay."

"Would you stop trying to touch my hair?"

"... Are you still talking to me? I... I'm not there. And even if I was, I wouldn't be-" Jade hung up before Tori could finish explaining, but it mattered little to Tori. She had a phone call to make...

Jade, on the other hand, was trying to poke a three hundred pound girl with a dark purple mohawk and at least six facial piercings away from her. The hefty girl still kept trying to touch her hair, though, no matter how hard Jade poked her belly with the plastic sword.

In the background of the dumpy theater, André and Robbie, who looked as if they had just been attacked by mountain lions, ran up to Lane, who had been looking over something on his clipboard. "Why didn't you tell us we were working at Juvie?" André practically screamed.

"It's not Juvie," Lane told them. "It's an adolescent girls' rehabilitation center."

"You can say it however you like, but they still did horrible things to my person!" Robbie cried. "And that group of girls stole Rex and won't give him back!"

"Maybe they have an interest in ventriloquism," Lane suggested.

"They're writing on his face with permanent marker and ripping his limbs off!"

Lane sighed. "Look, I know these girls are a little rough around the edges-"

"Rough?" Andrr gestured to his ripped clothing and bruised arms. "These girls' edges ain't rough, they're covered with razor blades!"

"Guys, the point of this project is to try and show these girls that with a little work and creativity, they can make something great. The head of this establishment has guaranteed me that they will be on their best behavior and will be watched at all times."

Like clockwork, Cat ran past the three, screaming her head off as a muscular black girl chased her, wielding what appeared to be a lead pipe.

An woman in a pant suit ran after her and yelled, "LaTisha, drop the pipe this instant!" She turned to another professional-looking woman and demanded, "Who let LaTisha near blunt objects?"

"... Maybe this wasn't the best idea, after all," Lane silently admitted, shuffling away from André and Robbie.

* * *

Yeah, the Juvie sideplot isn't really that great. Oh well.

How will the flowers work out? Only time will tell...


	3. Chapter 3

**TheSlap**

**Tori Vega**

Time for Sikowitz's class! Let's hope he's wearing a shirt today...

**Mood: Anxious**

* * *

Tori walked into the improv classroom and, thanks to the volunteer project, the number of students present was about cut in half. She took one of the empty seats next to Beck and whispered, "Where's Gwen?"

Beck shrugged. "I tried finding her so I could walk her to class, but she wasn't anywhere near her last class."

"Well, when she does get here, she's going to get a pleasant surprise!"

"A pecan-free one, I hope."

Tori shot him an unamused glance right as Sikowitz walked through the back entrance to the classroom. "Greetings, students!" He held in his hands a small plastic tub with the lid yanked off. "Who would like a double fudge brownie my neighbor Irene made for me?" The few students that were left in the class rang

out in a chorus of agreement, eager for a treat. Sikowitz nodded, but said, "Too bad, I ate them all already," and flipped the box over to show just how sadly brownie-free it was. "Now, let's discuss the great and crucial topic of..." He paused, then began to rapidly search for something in the pockets of his baggy, colorful pants.

"Uh, looking for something?" Tori asked.

"My marbles!" Sikowitz yelled. "I've lost my marbles!"

"You don't need to tell us," Beck muttered, more to Tori and himself than their crazy improv teacher.

"I was going to use them for something important!" Sikowitz insisted. "They were for-"

Before he was able to finish, Gwen burst through the door, looking rather shaken up. "I'm so sorry I'm late!" she cried, shutting the door and not really looking at Sikowitz. "This crazy old fudgebag dumped, like, twenty marbles out of his pants pockets and I slipped on them and fell and I think one of the marbles is in my bra and-" She finally turned around to see that the crazy marble-dropping fudgebag was her new improvisation teacher. "Oh... Uh, hi."

"Oh, that's right!" Sikowitz exclaimed. "I used to marbles to test our newest student's improv skills!"

"... How is that-"

"A good performer is always able to stay on their feet, even when faced with slippery obstacles!"

"But... I wasn't..." Gwen gave up trying to figure that man out. He was clearly off his rocker. "Let me guess... You're Sikowitz."

"Yes, that be me!" Sikowitz looked rather proud to be recognized. "You've heard of me?"

"Yes... It wasn't all positive, though..."

"Class, this is out newest student!" Sikowitz exclaimed. "Gwendolyn..."

"Oliver," Gwen finished.

"Why, what a coincidence!" Sikowitz gestured to Beck and said, "Beck's got the same last name! What a small world this is!"

"Yeeeah... It's not that small," Tori said, trying not to laugh at him.

"Gwen's my sister," Beck told their teacher, a small smile on his lips, clearly amused at Sikowitz's bizarreness.

Sikowitz looked between the two, utterly confused. "You two look nothing alike!"

Gwen let out a small giggle. "Yeah, well, that's be-"

"You have bosoms, while he doesn't!"

"... That's seriously the first difference you notice?" Beck asked, incredulous.

"Bosoms?" Gwen looked confused. "Is that like theater talk for blue eyes or something?"

"It is not something to discuss with students!" Sikowitz proclaimed. "Now, why don't you tell the class about yourself?"

Gwen looked around at the five students and shrugged. "Um, half of the class already knows who I am, but sure." She walked up to the front of the class and turned to face everyone while Sikowitz took a seat by the door. "Hi, everyone! Like he said before, my name is Gwendolyn, but I prefer being called Gwen. I'm new to Hollywood Arts. I like art, acting, and that fancy water that tastes like grapes. Um... I don't know what else to say. Any questions?"

Tori raised her hand. Gwen nodded in her direction and Tori asked, "Do I still give you the willies?"

"Oh, yes," Gwen said, nodding. "Very much so."

Tori meekly put her hand down. Just then, a man dressed in a green polo and khaki pants entered the room, carrying a dozen beautiful oleanders, with several calla lilies poking out. "Uh, delivery for..." He looked at the small card in his hand and read, "Glen Oliver."

"I guess that's me," Gwen said, raising a hand.

"Right..." He walked over and handed the bundle to her. "Here," he flatly said. "Enjoy, Glen." He walked out, leaving everyone to wonder where the flowers came from.

"I specifically said Gwen Oliver..." Tori quietly said, looking annoyed with the flower delivery guy.

"You sent those?" Beck whispered as Gwen happily admired her favorite flowers.

"It was the least I could do," Tori whispered back. She stood up and asked, "Do you like them, Gwen?"

"Are you kidding? I love flowers!" Gwen sniffed them, then looked up at Tori. "These are from you?" Tori nodded, smiling ear to ear. "Wow. That's really nice of you..." Gwen smiled too. "You know... Maybe I was wrong about-"

The unenthusiastic flower delivery man reentered the room, another card in his hand. He cleared his throat and everybody focused on him. "In honor of this being Pushing Daisies' five hundredth delivery, you get an extra special surprise, Glen."

"_Gwen_!" Tori shouted at him.

"Oh boy, a surprise!" Gwen exclaimed, hugging her flowers to her chest. "Is it a free toaster?"

"Uh... No." The flower delivery dude looked back at the card and read aloud, "You will get a free Hug-o-Gram, a new fun-filled service we at Pushing Daisies are providing."

"What's a Hug-" Before Gwen could even finish her sentence, someone burst through the back entrance to the classroom. It was a man dressed in a giant brown teddy bear suit, with a giant plastic daisy in his hand.

"Hi, Glen!" the giant teddy bear goofily greeted, waddling over to Gwen, who froze upon seeing him. "Who wants a big, daisytastic huuuuug?"

The bear was a foot away from her before she finally did something. To Tori's surprise, she began to scream and whack the offensive bear with her flowers. As the poor teddy cowered in fear and Gwen, who looked on the brink of tears, screamed at him to leave, Tori ran over to Beck and screamed, "What is she doing?"

"Gwen's terrified of people in big animal costumes," Beck explained, standing up, looking worried. "I think one fell on top of her once when she was three or something..." He looked to the side and noticed Tori was now harshly ushering the man in the bear suit out while Gwen hid under one of the plastic chairs, hugging her destroyed flowers and rocking back and forth in the fetal position.

Once the bear was gone and Tori slammed the door, the flower delivery man plainly said, "I should probably tell my boss that the Hug-o-Gram didn't go over so well..."

"Get out of here!" Tori cried, practically shoving him out the door. Once she spun around, she was able to see that Gwen was still under the chair, a few of the other students trying to coax her out.

"Gwen, come on, he's gone now," Beck said, tugging on her ankle slightly. "Tori made him-"

"Keep that girl away from me!" Gwen cried, still curled up under the chair. "Forget the willies, I'm all the way up to the heebie jeebies now!"

Beck shot Tori an apologetic glance and Tori let out an exasperated breath. Things just weren't going her way that day. "I should have known this would happen from a place called Pushing Daisies!"

* * *

**TheSlap**

**Tori Vega**

_Note to self: NEVER get flowers from Pushing Daisies ever again..._

**Mood: Exhausted**

* * *

The day was finally over, and Tori was absolutely exhausted. She had tried so hard to make amends with Gwen, but every time, it only blew up in both their faces.

She was about to leave, but she saw that Gwen was by her locker, a few tubes of paint by her feet. Her right hand was painted a shimmering gold and she gently pressed it on the center of her locker. When she peeled it off, she smiled to herself. The gold hand stood out. It shined brighter than the other hands.

"You're going to make it shine," Tori quietly said, knowing what statement she was trying to make. She had said it more to herself than Gwen, but she could still hear her.

The blonde spun around to look at her, and Tori couldn't help but notice how her eyes uneasily widened. However, she didn't scream and run to find a chair to hide under, like Tori thought she would. She just nodded. "Yes… I-I guess that's how you could describe what I was trying to say… That, and I like shiny." Tori could tell she was kidding about that last statement, but she still sounded shaky.

"You're really creative, Gwen. And you seem like such a great person." Tori was tired of apologizing. She wanted Gwen to see who she really was, but saying she was sorry after each screw-up got her nowhere. She had to show her she was really sorry. "I just wanted to get to you to know me. To show you I'm not some maniac that goes around kidnapping people, but all I did was ruin your first day at Hollywood Arts. My first day wasn't that great, and I would never want to do that to somebody else, especially someone who has been nothing but patient with me." Tori sighed, looking down at the ground to avoid eye contact with Gwen. "I forced you to eat something that you couldn't, and then that janky place I got your flowers from sent the one thing you're most afraid of... God, it's no wonder I give you the heebie jeebies..." Tori shook her head, a feeling of defeat finally washing over her. "I promise... I'll stay away from you..." She turned around and began to slowly walk to the exit.

"Tori."

She turned around, her hand still on the door. Gwen was wiping her hand clean with a rag and looking at Tori with an expression that was hard to determine. She was silent, and Tori began to think she had just been hearing things, but Gwen dropped the rag and walked over to her. She stopped three feet in front of her, which was a safe distance, but it was much closer than they had been before. "I've been doing some thinking since improv. You've jumped through hoops today just so you could try to befriend me. Those flowers and the candy must have been really expensive... And it must have taken a lot of hard work to get it all pulled together because frankly..." She paused, trying to bite back a laugh, and said, "You look like you got run over by a cement truck..."

Tori couldn't help but let out a short laugh. "Yeah..."

A thoughtful look graced the blue-eyed girl's features. "That shows real determination... It shows that you would be a great friend..." Gwen leaned over, took Tori by the hand, and dragged her over to her locker. She released her hand so that she could bend down and pick up one of the tubes of paint she had left

behind. After unscrewing the small cap, Gwen took Tori's right hand, squeezed a dollop of bright green paint into her palm and dropped the tube back on the ground.

"Gwen, what are-"

"Silence, the hand artiste is at work," Gwen told her, trying her best to sound fancy, as she took her trusty paintbrush and evenly spread the paint on her palm and fingers. Once it was spread around to her satisfaction, she released the Latina's wrist and gestured to the empty space on the locker. "There's one spot left. Your hand's the perfect size."

Tori looked back at Gwen, a mixture of shock and happiness on her face. "Are... Are you sure?"

"I didn't paint your hand green for yuks," Gwen told her, a small smile gracing creeping onto her lips. "Put your print on there before I change my mind."

Tori joyfully complied, firmly pressing her hand on the black spot. She pulled her hand back, smiling at the bright green handprint that greeted her. "The color of everybody's handprints are supposed to represent something about them. Why did you pick green for me?"

Gwen handed Tori her rag so she could wipe her hand off. After doing so, she crossed her arms and looked back at the locker. "Because... green represents renewal and rebirth." Turning back to her, she said, "And as of now, we're starting over. Everything that's happened in the past week is out of my mind... And we can finally be friends."

Tori, looking absolutely ecstatic, gathered Gwen in a big hug, which she slowly but surely returned. Once she pulled away from the younger girl, Tori asked, "How about I take my newest friend to the Groovy Smoothie for a celebratory Blueberry Bonanza? One that's free of pecans and annoying dudes in animal suits?"

Gwen's eyes glistened at the mention of the cool treat. "Love it! Just lemme text Beck to tell him where I'll be..." She pulled her cell phone out and after she sent her text, she saw several familiar people limb through the door.

Robbie was too beat up to even walk, so André was forced to drag him along, though André himself didn't look much better. Cat's clothes were ripped, her hair was messed up, and she was missing both of her shoes. She carried what was left of Rex, which was his head, torso, and his left arm. Jade looked absolutely fine.

"Those girls… Horrible, horrible things," Robbie whispered as he and André walked by Tori and Gwen, who couldn't look more confused.

"I know, man…" André shook his head, continuing to help Robbie along. "I know…"

"Cat… Where are your shoes?" Tori asked, that being the only thing she could get out of her mouth.

"The mean girls stole them," Cat sadly said, looking down at her bare feet. "They beat Robbie with them and then they flushed them down the toilet…" She continued to walk, still looking as if she was in a daze. "That's going to be the most violent version of My Fair Lady ever…"

As Cat continued to follow Robbie and André, Jade stopped by the two. "Hey. Either of you want some rods or rings?" She held up a large plastic baggie that neither girl noticed at first and they were able to see some facial jewelry inside.

Gwen cringed and exclaimed, "They're covered in _blood_!"

Jade paused for a moment, then shrugged. "I told that chick with the mohawk not to touch my hair."

* * *

Welp, there you go.

It's weird, writing these is actually helping me write my other stories faster. I can't explain it. I must just be crazy.


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